Betting on USA at the World Cup 2010

 Manager: Bob Bradley
Captain: Carlos Bocanegra
FIFA Ranking: 11
World Cup appearances: 8
Best World Cup: Third Place – 1930

USA Team Profile

In most sports, the American just turn up, strut their stuff and walk away with bags of medals. In football, however, that isn’t the case. In fact, the USA will be hard-pressed to make the last-sixteen of the competition in South Africa, although they did go as far as the quarter-finals back in Korea/Japan in 2002; their best performance in the finals of a World Cup for over 70 years, before later bowing at the group stages in Germany, 2006.

Credit were credit is due, the USA is showing huge signs of improvements both with their international displays and in regards to the popularity of the sport back home in general. Soccer is generally not perceived to be part of the popular brand of sports over in a country which consists of several high profile sporting activities, but in recent years better players have emerged from the shadows and their emergence of new talent was evident in their 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup performance which seen them make it as far as the final itself, taking a 2-0 lead in the final before losing 3-2 to eventual champions Brazil.

In North America however, despite ‘Soccer’ not yet reaching the heights in the popularity charts as expected when David Beckham moved over to the MLS several years ago in a bold bid to boost the reputation, the USA are the team to beat in qualifying or their own respective major tournaments. USA are the only North American team to have played in five successive World Cups. They stormed through qualifying, booking their tickets to South Africa with something to spare.

USA Key Players

Landon Donovan

We were tempted to call Landon Donovan a veteran as he does have so much experience but we mustn’t forget that the LA Galaxy forward is still just 27 years-old and still has every chance of reaching the following finals four years later. Donovan isn’t the biggest of players at just 5ft 7inc but his presence in the starting line-up brings about added enthusiasm from the rest of the squad as his work rate and ethic is second to none. He doesn’t allowed the opposing defenders any time on the ball, he chases down nothing balls and he also tracks back to help out in defence whenever necessary. He will be USA’s biggest goal threat in the final as he just seems to have a unique knack of getting in the right places at the right time, as well possessing the ability to create a chance out of nothing with his swift, intricate ball skills.

With 42 goals in 120 appearances for country, Landon Donovan is the most prolific striker the United States has ever had. He is the all-time leader in both goals and assists and will be the most-capped player in the US squad. Like we said above, Donovan brings vital experience to the fort as the squad is still fairly young in stature.

Tim Howard

The Everton number 1 has been his country’s number 1 for some time now but he’s a long way behind catching Landon Donovan in the caps department. Howard has been capped 48 times for his country and he has made that goalkeeping berth his own since Brad Friedel’s retirement from International duty. He has just about everything you want in a goalkeeper. He is clam and collected when in possession, he commands the respect of all those in front of him on the pitch whilst his immense shop-stopping ability makes him one of the best goalies in the game.

Tim Howard’s finest performance to date came against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Howard pulled off a string of good saves to not only deny Spain several goals but also aid his side into the finals of the tournament, albeit losing against Brazil in the final after a valiant display. He was the first goalkeeper to keep Spain at bay for the full 90 minutes for over two years. He was deservedly awarded The Golden Glove for his performances on the whole throughout The Confederations Cup.

Strengths

The biggest compliment we can pay to the American’s is they work so damn hard during 90 minutes, harassing the opponent throughout. They don’t allow their opponents to have any time nor space when in possession, they aren’t afraid to get involved with a tackle and seemingly have energy in reserve. The US are arguably the most enduring and industrious team on the block, and whatever team they come up against, no matter how classy they are, they’ll have to work doubly hard to squeeze anything out of a game with a USA team which fights tooth and nail for every last blade of grass.

Weakness

While there is no doubting the commitment of the USA team, were one of their key players to suffer an injury setback while in South Africa, manager Bradley would struggle to fill the void left. Their starting eleven isn’t the strongest in the first place, but it’s their determination on the field which enables them to push the big teams hard. Were one of the wheels in the US cog to go missing, you would fear for their chances as the USA rely heavily on team work and the great chemistry they’ve built up over some successful years.

USA Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: North, Central America & Caribbean
Group: 1
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-2-2
Goals Scored: 19
Goals Conceded: 13

World Cup Potential: 2/5

The USA are a team you would ideally prefer to avoid; great work ethic all round the team,their attitude on the field is great while their overall team work in second to none, both when in possession and not. However, for all their workmanlike qualities, the US still aren’t strong enough, certainly in depth, to handle the gauntlet thrown down by some of the more equipped nations, such as England, a team they’ll face in the group stages.

In fairness though, they were handed a very generous group, one they stand every chance of bypassing after being thrown into the mixer with England, the favourites to win the group, Slovenia and Algeria. The two key games as far as the USA are concerned are the Slovenia and Algeria matches, both of which they have to win in order to keep their chances of making the last-sixteen promising. If they can get something out of their game with the USA then great, and that’s not behold the realms of possibility. However, if the USA do want to go far, they’ll need to somehow finish the group in first place in order to avoid the ever consistent Germans in the round of 16.

On their day the USA can be a handful and are one of a select few that in terms of being rated as an outsider, could spring a shock against one of the elite nations. However, consistency would be an issue and while their ability to shock will be a threat to opponents, their main objective in South Africa will be to make the Round of 16.

USA World Cup Betting Odds

USA to win the World Cup: 80/1 Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on USA were 80/1 

Official USA World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders

Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennes)

Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)

Jay DeMerit (Watford)

Clarence Goodson (IK Start)

Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

Midfielders

Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers)

Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers)

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus)

Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers)

Jose Torres (Pachuca)

Strikers

Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Herculez Gomez (Puebla)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 USA Fixtures – Group C

26/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: USA – Ghana: 1-2 AET

World Cup 2010 Group C - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

USA v Algeria Betting Odds

USA to win: Evens at Bet365
Draw: 11/4 at Ladbrokes
Algeria to win: 3/1 at Ladbrokes

USA

The USA totally have their destiny in their own hands, they will need to go out and push hard for a win over Algeria on Wednesday, knowing that the three points will take them into the last sixteen of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It all sounds easy, but Algeria’s stubborn performance against England, just suggested that the USA may have harder work on their hands than they would have hoped. The USA and coach Bob Bradley will still be reeling from the disallowed goal which robbed them of a miraculous comeback against Slovenia. Being down 2-0 at half time and having been completely out played, Bradley bravely changed things at half time, and, throwing caution to the win, clawed their way back into match. Maurice Edu looked as if he had netted a remarkable winner, only for the referee to have inexplicably ruled it out. But the USA should be grateful all the same for the point which they did get, which looked highly unlikely at half time. While the Americans play with a lot of energy and determination, more often that not, it is the simple things which let them down, like defensive positioning and poor passing.

The midfield again was non-existent in the first half of the match against Slovenia, as the European side passed their way quickly past it. The Americans were left chasing the game after allowing a Slovenia an eternity on the ball when they were in dangerous attacking positions. That is one area Bradley will have to tighten up, and he will also be looking for more help from his forwards, after the midfielders again rescued the situation. Main striker Jozy Altidore is the epitome of the USA team, plenty of running but little quality when it comes to the end product. There may be a temptation to throw in Edson Buddle for the final game, who was performing well in the USA build up to the World Cup, when Altidore was recovering from injury. A lot of the weaknesses of the Americans are covered up by their team spirit and energy, and all to often they fall behind in matches and have to claw their way back. If they do that against the Algeria, then the worry is that at some point, a full recovery will not be able to be enacted. The USA will start as favourites against Algeria, but the could have a tough afternoon on their hands.

Algeria

The North Africans showed a marked improvement in performance when then played England, even though they are still struggling to find the back of the net. They easily contained a lacklustre England, and looked the more dangerous of the two sides on the break. Their passing was much more accurate, and they actually took quite a positive approach to the match, not afraid to take England on. In Algeria’s first match, they simply put a lot of men in the midfield to try and close out the match, which didn’t work in their favour as the game was a poor quality midfield scrap, which Algeria lost 1-0. The group outsiders will have taken a lot of heart from their unexpected point gained against England, and they will now fancy their chances of taking out the USA, and playing their way into playoff contention. It could happen. With three points for themselves and an England defeat against Slovenia, Algeria could head to the last sixteen with Slovenia, turning the expected outcome in Group C on its head.

The problem for Algeria is that they lack goal scoring power, and their game is naturally defensive. It is hard to even picture them scoring a comfortable two goals, although their forwards will have an easier time against the USA than either England or Slovenia who are more defensively sound. The danger from the Algerians will come in their defensive football, especially if they can get their noses in front, then they could shut up shop and hold out. The North Africans will start the match as underdogs in World Cup betting, but they should grow in confidence, and perhaps come out of their shell even more now that there is nothing left to lose. They are bottom of the group going into the final matches with just a point, but a tight game could see them end up with four.

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: There is a harsh stat which will give the USA a lot of hope that even one goal could be enough. Algeria have only scored 1 goal in their last seven matches, so naturally you will back the USA to win this match. One could be more than enough for the USA, but they need to concentrate much better than they have done at the back in their two matches so far. They will need to watch for quick counter attacks.
USA -0.75 for 7/5 at Paddy Power

Current USA V Algeria Odds:

Slovenia gathering pace and form for World Cup betting

Friday’s action packed World Cup day sees the chance of one of the tournament’s supposed minnows progressing through to the second round. If European side Slovenia can topple the USA on Friday, then they would guarantee themselves a place in the last sixteen of the competition. This is because Slovenia battled their way to a 1-0 victory over North African side Algeria in their opener. That narrow victory has further added to the confidence of the Slovenians, with midfielder Andrej Komac stating that they will definitely beat the Americans and make history for themselves by getting out of the group stage. Slovenia are gathering some momentum in status, after beating Slovakia twice in qualification, seeing off the challenge of the Czech Republic in the group, and then seeing off the might of Russia in their play-off match to reach the World Cup Finals in South Africa. In terms of population of countries, this is the David v Goliath match, with Slovenia the smallest populated nation, and the USA the largest. The Slovenians have proven that they can punch above their weight, and they will use their technical passing skills to try and negate any threat which may come from the USA. Slovenia have now hit eight goals in their last three matches, and will fancy their chances against the USA back line which was breached by England, but who found goalkeeper Tim Howard in inspired form. That is the fine line between three points and nothing, and the thin line between progressing in the tournament and going home. If Slovenia win, then the USA would most likely be on their way home, with England expected to wrap up a comfortable victory against Algeria, also on Friday. The Slovenians may be the smallest nation in the tournament, but they are more than capable of punching above their weight. They have the confidence, the ability and a pretty solid defence, one of the best in European qualification to fall back on.

Slovenia World Cup Betting: There was always a threat coming from the small European nation, even though the USA are expected to join England in the last sixteen from Group C. There is not too much to choose between the teams really, and Slovenia took a flood the midfield approach to their match against Algeria. That could be the key in getting the better of the Americans, plenty of midfield possession. Not a major threat up front, but have a solid, organised defence and have racked up four straight wins, winning eight of their last ten games. Would consider backing Under 2.5 Goals for 4/7 at Ladbrokes. Slovenia’s biggest threat in front of goal will come from Milivoje Novakovic who is 3/1 at Bet365 Anytime Scorer, which is decent value against a weak defence. Or, how about Komac putting his money where his mouth is? Komac is 17/1 at Paddy Power to back up his strong words by scoring in the match.
Slovenia Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Slovenia +0.50 Evens at Paddy Power

Slovenia World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P1, W1, D0, L0
GF/GA: 1/0
Cards: Y2, R0
Most Shots: Two Players, 3
Top Scorer: Robert Koren, 1
Shots/On Goal: 7/4
Fouls Committed: 10
Total Passes: 538
Pass Completion: 74%
Last 5 Form: LWWWW

Tim Howard Battered and Bruised but ready to star again

USA goalkeeper Tim Howard should get back between the sticks on Friday, as he looks to help his side take another step towards the last sixteen of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Howard was in great form as he helped America to hold on to a draw against England. Naturally, the Americans have taken umbrage against Komac’s confident words, with defender Oguchi Onyewu saying that an American player would never make such a bold comment. While we’re not sure if that’s irony or not, he clearly hasn’t been watching Alexei Lalas on ESPN. Anyway, what of the USA? Well, they were exuberant after their draw with England, but when you break it down and analyse the game, there were still second best. England dominated possession, had the clear cut chances to put the game out of sight, but simply didn’t take those chances. The USA midfield disintegrated in the second half, and that will spell danger against the slick Slovenians if it happens again. The USA played at pace, but still without causing too much threat in the England penalty box, except from long balls, and their terrible pass completion percentage will need to be seriously raised. Slovenia are not as slow at the back as England are, so they should be able to deal with the USA attacks much better. On the defensive side of things, the USA had clear holes which England could not exploit to the maximum by scoring more than one goal. Slovenia have had a solid 12 months in front of goal, and really could cause problems for the USA, when the Americans would probably have been targeting a comfortable win when the World Cup draw was made. The Americans are an OK side, nothing more, nothing less. They have speed, they have fight, courage and all that good stuff, but will not be as technically gifted as the plucky Slovenians. There is every potential that, while the USA will be happy with their first performance, if they don’t tighten up, then they could be in danger. It is as simple as that for them. They should be inspired by Tim Howard’s performance and attitude, and if they were a little more patient on the ball, and use better distribution from the flanks when they make good ground, they have every chance of staying alive in the group. This is a fairly even match, but neither would be happy with the game ending in parity, although it would suit the USA much better.
 
USA World Cup Betting: Can the USA produce now in this massive game for them. Do they have the craft and ability to break down the tough Slovenian defence? Lively Jozy Altidore is top of the list as most likely anytime goal scorer, going for 5/2 at Paddy Power. The USA will play with energy, but is it enough to suffice without the final ball? Will they be nervous? This is coach Bob Bradley’s big moment with a huge amount of pressure on. It should be quite a tight game, but if you fancy the USA to have the edge, then the following is the best value bet.
USA Asian Handicap Betting Tip: -0.75 for 11/8 at Bet365

USA World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P1, W0, D1, L0
GF/GA: 1/1
Cards: Y3, R0
Most Shots: Clint Dempsey, 4
Top Scorer: Clint Dempsey, 1
Shots/On Goal: 13/4
Fouls Committed: 14
Total Passes: 376
Pass Completion: 58%
Last 5 Form: LLWWD

Slovenia v USA Betting Odds

USA to win: 11/10 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at BetFred
Slovenia to win: 3/1 at SkyBet

Saturday will bring together England v USA at the 2010 World Cup. It is the big moment that Fabio Capello has been working towards. It is now D-Day for the Italian, as he leads England into the lion’s den at Rustenburg. It is just over two years since Capello took charge of England, and has successfully, and impressively led them through a World Cup qualification group that saw them just lose one game, and saw Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe explode in front of goal. Suddenly England showed a new attacking prowess, with goals flowing freely, especially against lesser ranked teams in their group. But the build up to South Africa 2010 has not been a smooth one for Capello, with the stress building around injuries and player’s personal lives, even the cool Italian has shown signs of cracking after shouting at invasive press pointing their cameras into Camp Capello. The England of today are a much better prospect than they were when Capello took over, even though the squad remains largely the same.

Throughout the warm up matches though, that attacking composure seemed to have deserted the English side, and there could be some edgy nerves around Rustenburg on Saturday, if England do not settle quickly. They were guilty of very slow starts in the warm up matches, and they run the risk of being caught cold by a spirited American side. So not only is this D-Day for Capello, but for a lot of the England players, this may represent their last chance of securing the greatest honour in soccer, winning the World Cup. What England do have over Saturday’s first opponents, the USA, is experience, and while England don’t have their ideal first team available, it should be more than enough to see their way past the Americans. Frank Lampard has been stressing the importance of such experience, with the players having gone through a lot of tournament football together, as well as individual domestic campaigns playing at the top level. How much does this count when it comes to match day? For certain it helps with composure and with playing games out safely, but England need to get off to a good start to calm nerves, and start building confidence.

Only Brazil have an older average age in their squad at South Africa 2010, and while people are wondering if defending Champions Italy are too old, no-one has brought the same thing up about England. First matches in big tournaments are often the time when upsets can be caused, as teams are a little rusty and naturally nervous. But nerves should not come into play so much, for the experienced side who have been there before, and who should be fuelled by past disappointments. Capello has said that he knows his side, and it is likely to have newly instilled captain Steven Gerrard in the middle alongside Lampard. It should be a dynamic pairing, but it is one which has not produced before, and would probably work better with a holding midfielder behind them. But Gareth Barry is not ready, and that means Gerrard comes back into the middle. The midfield is largely where the battle will be won on Saturday, as that is where England can control the pace of the game. They do not need to go out all guns blazing at pace against the Americans, they simply need to show poise and composure, and their skills will play around them.

What of the Americans? Having personally watched a lot of build up about the US squad, they are naturally confident, something you would expect of the Americans. They have come along way, with more exports playing in Europe, and rising standards of the MLS. There is some pressure on them to perform, even though they are not expected to win. They have a lot of belief that Tim Howard is the best goalkeeper in the World, and that they have a secret weapon in striker Edison Buddle, backed up by youngster Jozy Altidore and Landon Donovan drifting in from the left. However, there is no way, on the evidence of having watched the Americans play their warm up matches, that their defence is capable of stopping England’s heart, Wayne Rooney. A lot of the USA’s focus at the back has been surrounding Oguchi (Gooch) Onyewu. He is the big solid centre half that would be battling Rooney and Heskey, but, quite frankly, he has been making his way back from a knee injury, and he has looked well short on pace, positing and ability. It will be a big risk for US coach Bob Bradley if he plays him. He will not get close to Rooney.

Landon Donovan going up against Glen Johnson, who is not the most tactically astute defender in the England set up, should be very interesting. If England snuff Donovan out of the game, there goes their inspiration and link up. Frankly, England should not be troubled by the USA attack at all, even if Ledley King is partnering John Terry at the back, which means that there won’t be a lot of pace there. The key is simply the England midfield doing their job tracking back, which may be difficult for Gerrard and Lampard who naturally like to get forward. The USA will be physical and will exert a lot of effort, but as seen in their build up, their energy is often wasted with lack of technical ability to play the right ball, and use what is in front of them. They don’t have a great deal going forward, certainly not anything that England should be concerned about, as they lack a creative, crisp game plan in transition from front to back. But this is the World Cup opener for these two teams, from which, different things are expected at South Africa 2010. The time is now for Fabio Capello to display his famous tactical genius, and time for the England players to deliver for their nation. A nation expects.

England v USA Betting Stats

Last 5 Matches
England 2, Japan 1
England 3, Mexico 1
England 3, Egypt 1
Brazil 1, England 0
England 3, Belarus 0

USA 3, Australia 1
USA 2, Turkey 1
USA 2, Czech Republic 4
Holland 2, USA 1
USA 1, Honduras 3

Last 5 Match Goals
England: 11 For, 4 Against
USA: 9 For, 10 Against

Recent Stats
England: P50, W33, D8, L9 with a 66.0% win percentage
USA: P45, W18, D6, L21 with a 40.0% win percentage

World Cup Stats
England: P55, W25, D17, L13, GF74, GA47
USA: P25, W6, D3, L16, GF27, GA51

Match Odds
England to win: 8/15 at Paddy Power
Draw: 10/3 at BetFred
USA to win: 13/2 at Totesport

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: England are expected to win comfortably, wherever you look at the best bookmakers for betting on the World Cup. Therefore, it is going to be tough to find a lot of profit by backing England, unless you go big of course. Best chance of profit would be taking the USA in a plus, and there are range of semi decent value odds to do that. USA +1 is Evens at Bet365, but if you simply want to put all of your eggs in the England basket, then England -1.25 is 13/10 at Paddy Power. On paper, England should comfortably be two goals better than the US, it’s whether nerves on the opening game will get the better of teams.
 

There is no doubting the confidence that the USA will bring to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in June. World Cup Betting tips has the USA as clear second favourites to qualify from Group C behind England, but their warm up matches are certainly not showing the kind of form needed to do just that. With the group draw being relatively kind to Fabio Capello’s England, the odds on the USA may be flattering them a little bit, simply because other group opponents Slovenia and Algeria are not seen as of much of a threat. On the pitch however, there could be a completely different story being told, with the technical ability Slovenia showed in qualification, perhaps realistically pushing them ahead of the USA. At the African Cup of Nations, Algeria showed signs of being a very stubborn team.

In a recent International Friendly against the Czech Republic, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, the USA again showed a lot of the problems they may face in dealing with their group opposition at the World Cup. While they did not field their strongest side, it was the apparent lack of organisation in defence, and the seemingly wayward lack of direction in how to get forward, which will be troubling fans of the USA. The creativity from the midfield looked non-existent, and the USA have already been criticised before about their lack of firepower. The USA always play with a swagger borne of confidence, but how realistic is the price tag on them to qualify from Group C? When you compare them to other teams participating in the World Cup then they are clearly back in the running behind most of them. If they were to swap places with Australia for example, who face Serbia, Germany and Ghana, then the USA would probably be rank outsiders to get out of the group. So what does a shaky looking USA side, who have lost to Honduras and Holland in their build up, really offer in terms of World Cup odds?

Well, in their individual World Cup fixtures, the USA are favoured to beat both Slovenia and Algeria, by quite generous odds. Naturally against England, the USA are the outside bet, but are the USA likely to be that much of a clear cut choice to finish second? Strangely enough, the price mentioned above is actually good enough to get behind, and it is seriously tempting, and that price is largely down to the inexperience of their other group opponents. But they will face a Slovenia side who battled through a qualification play off against the hotly tipped strong Russians, and beat their qualification group winner Slovakia twice, and only conceded four goals in their ten matches. USA coach Bob Bradley needs a little more than optimism, and a win on Saturday against Turkey could be the perfect tonic ahead of the World Cup. While the USA have their support from Barrack Obama and Alex Ferguson, on the viewing of their 4-2 defeat to the Czech Republic, there is much tactical work to be done, especially in aerial defending.

International Friendly
USA to win: 13/10 at Bet365
Draw: 9/4 at SkyBet
Turkey to win: 11/5 at Coral

USA World Cup Specials
Group Stage Elimination: 5/4 at Sporting bet
Second Round Elimination: 13/8 at Bet365
Quarter Finals Elimination:11/2 at Totesport

To Qualify From Group C: Yes 7/10 at Bwin
Group Finishing place: Second 5/4 at Sporting Bet
 

 Manager: Bob Bradley
Captain: Carlos Bocanegra
FIFA Ranking: 11
World Cup appearances: 8
Best World Cup: Third Place – 1930

USA Team Profile

In most sports, the American just turn up, strut their stuff and walk away with bags of medals. In football, however, that isn’t the case. In fact, the USA will be hard-pressed to make the last-sixteen of the competition in South Africa, although they did go as far as the quarter-finals back in Korea/Japan in 2002; their best performance in the finals of a World Cup for over 70 years, before later bowing at the group stages in Germany, 2006.

Credit were credit is due, the USA is showing huge signs of improvements both with their international displays and in regards to the popularity of the sport back home in general. Soccer is generally not perceived to be part of the popular brand of sports over in a country which consists of several high profile sporting activities, but in recent years better players have emerged from the shadows and their emergence of new talent was evident in their 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup performance which seen them make it as far as the final itself, taking a 2-0 lead in the final before losing 3-2 to eventual champions Brazil.

In North America however, despite ‘Soccer’ not yet reaching the heights in the popularity charts as expected when David Beckham moved over to the MLS several years ago in a bold bid to boost the reputation, the USA are the team to beat in qualifying or their own respective major tournaments. USA are the only North American team to have played in five successive World Cups. They stormed through qualifying, booking their tickets to South Africa with something to spare.

USA Key Players

Landon Donovan

We were tempted to call Landon Donovan a veteran as he does have so much experience but we mustn’t forget that the LA Galaxy forward is still just 27 years-old and still has every chance of reaching the following finals four years later. Donovan isn’t the biggest of players at just 5ft 7inc but his presence in the starting line-up brings about added enthusiasm from the rest of the squad as his work rate and ethic is second to none. He doesn’t allowed the opposing defenders any time on the ball, he chases down nothing balls and he also tracks back to help out in defence whenever necessary. He will be USA’s biggest goal threat in the final as he just seems to have a unique knack of getting in the right places at the right time, as well possessing the ability to create a chance out of nothing with his swift, intricate ball skills.

With 42 goals in 120 appearances for country, Landon Donovan is the most prolific striker the United States has ever had. He is the all-time leader in both goals and assists and will be the most-capped player in the US squad. Like we said above, Donovan brings vital experience to the fort as the squad is still fairly young in stature.

Tim Howard

The Everton number 1 has been his country’s number 1 for some time now but he’s a long way behind catching Landon Donovan in the caps department. Howard has been capped 48 times for his country and he has made that goalkeeping berth his own since Brad Friedel’s retirement from International duty. He has just about everything you want in a goalkeeper. He is clam and collected when in possession, he commands the respect of all those in front of him on the pitch whilst his immense shop-stopping ability makes him one of the best goalies in the game.

Tim Howard’s finest performance to date came against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Howard pulled off a string of good saves to not only deny Spain several goals but also aid his side into the finals of the tournament, albeit losing against Brazil in the final after a valiant display. He was the first goalkeeper to keep Spain at bay for the full 90 minutes for over two years. He was deservedly awarded The Golden Glove for his performances on the whole throughout The Confederations Cup.

Strengths

The biggest compliment we can pay to the American’s is they work so damn hard during 90 minutes, harassing the opponent throughout. They don’t allow their opponents to have any time nor space when in possession, they aren’t afraid to get involved with a tackle and seemingly have energy in reserve. The US are arguably the most enduring and industrious team on the block, and whatever team they come up against, no matter how classy they are, they’ll have to work doubly hard to squeeze anything out of a game with a USA team which fights tooth and nail for every last blade of grass.

Weakness

While there is no doubting the commitment of the USA team, were one of their key players to suffer an injury setback while in South Africa, manager Bradley would struggle to fill the void left. Their starting eleven isn’t the strongest in the first place, but it’s their determination on the field which enables them to push the big teams hard. Were one of the wheels in the US cog to go missing, you would fear for their chances as the USA rely heavily on team work and the great chemistry they’ve built up over some successful years.

USA Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: North, Central America & Caribbean
Group: 1
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-2-2
Goals Scored: 19
Goals Conceded: 13

World Cup Potential: 2/5

The USA are a team you would ideally prefer to avoid; great work ethic all round the team,their attitude on the field is great while their overall team work in second to none, both when in possession and not. However, for all their workmanlike qualities, the US still aren’t strong enough, certainly in depth, to handle the gauntlet thrown down by some of the more equipped nations, such as England, a team they’ll face in the group stages.

In fairness though, they were handed a very generous group, one they stand every chance of bypassing after being thrown into the mixer with England, the favourites to win the group, Slovenia and Algeria. The two key games as far as the USA are concerned are the Slovenia and Algeria matches, both of which they have to win in order to keep their chances of making the last-sixteen promising. If they can get something out of their game with the USA then great, and that’s not behold the realms of possibility. However, if the USA do want to go far, they’ll need to somehow finish the group in first place in order to avoid the ever consistent Germans in the round of 16.

On their day the USA can be a handful and are one of a select few that in terms of being rated as an outsider, could spring a shock against one of the elite nations. However, consistency would be an issue and while their ability to shock will be a threat to opponents, their main objective in South Africa will be to make the Round of 16.

USA World Cup Betting Odds

USA to win the World Cup: 80/1 Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on USA were 80/1 

Official USA World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders

Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennes)

Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)

Jay DeMerit (Watford)

Clarence Goodson (IK Start)

Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

Midfielders

Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers)

Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers)

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus)

Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers)

Jose Torres (Pachuca)

Strikers

Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Herculez Gomez (Puebla)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 USA Fixtures – Group C

26/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: USA – Ghana: 1-2 AET

World Cup Group C - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of USA